Toy vehicle race track



Dec. 3, 1968 A. EINFALT 3,

TOY VEHICLE RACE TRACK Filed Oct. 27, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR,

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Dec. 3, 1968 ElNFALT 3,413,754

TOY VEHICLE RACE TRACK Filed Oct. 27, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

kL-FRED Enmnur RTToQnGVs Claims. (Ci. 46-206) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE There is shown a toy track game including a base plate having thereon a closed track and at least one track connecting one point of the closed track with another point thereof. A diverter disposed adjacent to one end of the branch track is controllable so that one of several selfpropelled vehicles placed on the track can be directed either to continue along the closed track or to enter the branch track. Each of the vehicles is equipped with stop and release means for the drive mechanism thereof. Manually operable control means are provided for controlling the diverter and also the stop and release means on a vehicle when the same reaches a predetermined position on the branch track. The control means when operated release a vehicle stopped in the predetermined position and simultaneously set the diverter so that a second vehicle is directed into the branch track to be arrested by the control means when reaching said predetermined position on the branch track.

This invention relates to a toy of the kind comprising a vehicle track, consisting of closed-circuit communicating road tracks provided with manually controllable vehicle diverting means as well as with vehicle starting and stopping means at set positions, and self-propelled toy vehicles guided along said road tracks, whose start is controllable by means of a starter plate, each arranged sunk in the road track. Each of the starter plates can be raised manually and when raised releases stop means within the vehicle.

The object of the invention is to further develop such a toy vehicle track and to improve it and, particularly as regards its use by children, to confer on it increased play possibilities.

To this end according to the present invention the track is formed with at least one shunt or lay-by track, extending between portions of the main track. The shunt track includes a vehicle stopping and starting position with manually operable means for starting a vehicle stopped there at and a diverter effective on operating said means to divert a vehicle into the shunt track. Thus as a toy vehicle is set in motion another toy vehicle travelling along the track is diverted into such shunt or lay-by track to be stopped at the stop/ start position on releasing the manually operable means.

The starting means conveniently comprises a plate which is carried by a lever pivotally arranged in such a manner that it releases the stop means within the vehicle on rocking such lever and the diverter carried by such lever is simultaneously raised above the track surfaces into the effective position for diverting a moving vehicle. Owing to this, in the same instant in which the hitherto stopped vehicle is released, the next vehicle is diverted from the normal or main track and is guided into the startingand parking position.

The construction is advantageously such, that the starter plate lever is pivotable adjacent its actuating grip end which projects laterally from the track base plate, the diverter being carried at its free end and with the plate nited States Patent 0 3,413,754 Patented Dec. 3, 1968 "ice or cam for releasing the vehicle-blocking means arranged therebetween.

According to a further feature of the invention, there are two or more shunt tracks or lay byes each having a startingand parking position and associated start means and a diverter.

A vehicle stop position may also be provided at any one or more positions along the track and having means for releasing a stopped toy vehicle, so that a stopped vehicle may be started before another vehicle in motion reaches that position there to be stopped or not at the will of the player.

Additionally or alternatively a further shunt track or lay-by may be provided and have starting means on the same actuating member or lever as starting means of a stop position provided in an adjacent portion of the normal track so that two stopped vehicles at these two places may be started at the same time and if desired that started from the shunt track may be stopped on reaching the stop position in the portion of the normal or main track.

It is especially advantageous to construct the toy vehicle track in such a manner, that of four closed-circuit tracks two face each other, while the inside arms of two adjacent road tracks intercommunicate. In this case, several vehicles can move simultaneously on the toy track, and it is left to the child playing with the toy to determine which vehicles are to be stopped or started at what point of the track and which of the vehicles are to be directed to a startingand parking position in a shunt track or layby. This offers a greater inducement to play.

Further advantages and features of the invention are explained hereafter and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top view of the toy vehicle track;

FIG. 2 is a section along the line IIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section along the line IIIHI of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a section along the line IV-1V of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a section along the line VV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of the diverter at one end of the branch track and of the stop and release means included in the branch track;

FIG. 7 is an elevational sectional view taken on line VII-VII of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an elevational view, partly in section, similar to FIG. 4 but showing the stop and release means more in detail;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary detail view of the means mounting the control means for controlling the stopping and releasing of a vehicle; and

FIG. 10 is an elevational sectional view taken on line XX of FIG. 9.

The base plate 1, which may consist of plastics material, sheet metal or any other suitable material, is shaped to provide a convenient closed track system or a plurality of interconnected tracks and as illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings the base plate 1 is formed with four closedcircuit road tracks 2, 3, 4 and 5, in such a manner, that the tracks 2 and 5 on the one hand and the tracks 3 and 4 on the other handare located diagonally opposite each other, with inside tracks 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a and 5b intercommunicating therewith. Thus, toy vehicles may move, for example, from the track 2a to the track 4a and onto track 4, and similarly from the track 3a to the track 5a and onto track 5. The same applies of course to the track 20, 2b and 5a, 5b.

T 0 ensure that the vehicles reliably follow the curves provided at the ends of straight portions of the tracks, elevations 6 are provided on the inside borders of such curves, with which elevations a lateral hook shaped arm 7 of a vehicle 8 cooperates in the known manner (this is shown in particular in FIG. 2).

The road tracks are formed advantageously as recesses which give the toy vehicles the necessary guidance during their travel, without necessitating the use of rail-like means. It is advisable to form the recessed tracks when the base is made of plastics material by vacuum-forming as by the use of such method the base plate 1 can then also be given elevated rims constituting elevations 6, to act as support.

Between portions of the closed circuit tracks at least one and conveniently two as in the embodiment illustrated shunt or lay-by tracks 21, 22 are provided. A stop/start place 11 is provided in the shunt track 21 and similarly at 12 in the shunt track 22. Each such place 11, 12 comprises an aperture indicated at 13. Through these apertures may project from below a nose or cam 14 to release the blocking means of a vehicle standing above an aperture. The blocking means may for example be actuated in a manner known per se by a catch lever depending from a vehicle, which lever falls into the respective one of the apertures 13 as soon as the vehicle reaches a position over such aperture.

The cams 14 are formed on starter plate levers 15. Each lever is located underneath the base plate -1 and rockably suspended at 16 (see FIG. in the plate 1 projecting above said plate with its actuating grip 17.

When pressure is exerted on one of the grips 17 in the direction of the arrow x (FIG. 5), the respective lever is rocked and its cam 14 enters into the respective aperture 13 thereby lifting the catch lever of a vehicle located over that aperture. As a result the blocking means of the vehicle is released so that the vehicle can start to move.

The bent-off free end 18 of each lever 15 ends in a guide bar 19 which is movable upwards through apertures 20 in the base 1. Each guide bar is moved into the high position when the respective starting lever 15 is manually rocked as just described. Thus guide bar 19 for plate 11 can then cooperate with the arm 7 of a vehicle 8, in the same manner as the elevations 6, with the result that a vehicle travelling in the direction of the arrow y is diverted from the track 5b into the lay-by 21. If the grip 17 of the lever for plate 12 is depressed the vehicle 8 is diverted into the lay-by 22. The efiect of depressing one of the grips 1 1 is also to start an arrested vehicle 8 at the respective stop/ start place 11 or 12. Thus the travelling vehicle reaches the starting and parking position immediately following the departure of the vehicle which had hitherto occupied that position.

In addition to the above arrangement a further starting and parking position 10 may be provided for another shunt or lay-by track 32. Here, the starting plate lever 15 has a cam 14 not only in alignment with the aperture 13, but also a further cam 14 for coaction with a second aperture 23. Accordingly, two vehicles located respectively over the apertures 13, 23 can be released simultaneously.

As indicated at the track 31), further stop/start positions can be arranged at other points of the main track; thus, for example, the track 3b has an aperture 24, with which there cooperates a cam (similar to the cams 14) of a pivot lever 25, whose grip 26 projects from the base plate 1, as in the aforedescribed manner.

It is possible to provide guide bars at positions other than those already mentioned, which effect the diversion of a moving toy vehicle from one track into another. Such a guide bar 27 (see also FIG. 3) is formed on a pivoted lever 29 actuatable by depressing its grip 28 and effective to guide a vehicle from the outermost action of track 5 into the inner track 5a.

A further guide bar 30 of a pivoted lever 31 acts in the same manner for diverting a vehicle into the shunt or lay-by track 32 provided with the parking and starting position 10.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, these figures show a vehicle 8 just while being diverted from track portion 5b of closed track 5 into branch track 21 by tilting the respective lever 15 into the high position as previously described. As can best be seen in FIG. 7, the hooked arm 7 extending from the vehicle is engaged with guide bar 19 at the end portion 18 of lever 15. As is evident. such engagement forces the vehicle to turn into the branch track and as is also evident, the vehicle would continue on track portion 5b if guide bar 19 were withdrawn below the level of the track on base plate 1 as previously described.

FIG. 8 shows diagrammatically the mechanism on vehicle 8 for arresting and releasing the same. Mechanisms corresponding to the mechanism shown in FIG. 8 are well known in the art and are disclosed in detail, for instance, in Fig. 7 of Patent 3,154,024 to Einfalt. The mechanism includes a drop plate 40. This plate is held lifted when engaged with the running surface of track 21 or of any other track portion but drops by gravity when reaching an aperture such as aperture 13 in the running surface of track 21. The drop plate when in its dropped position stops the spring drive 41 of the vehicle by causing the teeth of a pinion 42 on the drop plate to engage teeth 43 constituting part of the spring drive. A pointed nose 44 On drop plate 4% is engageable with the edge 45 of lever 15 to assure arrest of the vehicle.

The arrested vehicle is released by lifting lever 15 and with it the control element or cam 14 thereon as previously described.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, lever 15 is tiltably mounted on base plate 1 in a conventional and suitable manner. There is shown an elevated portion 33 on base plate 1. The elevated portion includes two slots 34 through which are extended two bent-over tongues 36 formed on an angular portion 35 of lever 15. Grip 17 of the lever is extended through an elongate slot 37 in raised portion 33 of the base plate.

I claim:

1. A toy track game comprising in combination:

a base plate having thereon a closed track and at least one branch track connecting one point of the closed track with another point thereof;

a diverter means disposed adjacent to one end of the branch track and movable between a first position directing a vehicle along the closed track and a second position directing the vehicle from the closed track into the branch track;

two self-propelled toy vehicles each including stop and release means movable between a stop position and a release position;

manually operable control means for simultaneously moving the stop and release means of a vehicle in a predetermined position on the branch track from the stop position into the release position and the diverter means from the first position into the second position, and vice versa, said control means including a control lever tiltably supported by said base and mounting two spaced apart control elements one for coacting with said stop and release means on a vehicle in said predetermined position on the branch track and the other for coacting with said diverter means in response to a tilting of the lever, said lever being tiltable between a first position engaging the stop and release means of the vehicle in said predetermined position to move said means into the release position and engaging the diverter means to move the same into the second position thereof, and a second position causing movement of the stop and release means of a vehicle into the stop position and of the diverter means into the first position.

2. The toy track game according to claim 1 wherein said base includes two openings therethrough each disposed in alignment with one of said control elements on the lever for engagement of said control elements with said stop and release means and with said diverter means respectively through said openings when the lever is tilted from its second position into its first position.

3. The toy track game according to claim 2 wherein said lever is a two-arm lever, one arm of the lever extending below said base and mounting said elements and the other extending through an opening in the base above the same to constitute a grip for manual tilting of the lever from the first position into the second position and vice versa.

4. The toy track game according to claim 1 and further comprising a second branch track connecting a second point of the closed track with another second point thereof, and wherein said control lever mounts a further control element engageable with the stop and release means of a vehicle in a predetermined position on said second branch track for stopping and releasing the same respectively by tilting of said lever.

5. The toy track game according to claim 4 wherein said second branch track also includes an opening aligned With said further control element for engagement of the stop and release means of the vehicle through said second opening when the vehicle is in said predetermined position on the second branch track.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,161,314 6/1939 Randall et al. 104-6O 2,636,114 4/1953 Fields 104-60 X 3,154,024 10/1964 Einfalt 10460 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

H. BELTRAN, Assistant Examiner. 

